Asean agrees in principle to admit East Timor as 11th member

PHNOM PENH - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has agreed in principle to admit East Timor as the group's 11th member, the bloc said in a statement on Friday (Nov 11). The half-island nation, officially called Timor Leste, will also be granted observer status at high-level Asean meetings, the bloc said after regional leaders met in Phnom Penh for a summit. "We... agreed in principle to admit Timor Leste to be the 11th member of Asean," the statement said, adding that next steps would include a "roadmap for full membership" to be submitted at next year's summit. The East Timorese voted for independence from a brutal occupation by neighbouring Indonesia in a 1999 United Nations (UN)-supervised referendum, and the country was officially recognised by the UN in 2002, making it Asia's youngest democracy. The resource-rich country of 1.3 million people immediately started the process of accession to Asean, but only formally applied for membership in 2011. ALSO READ: Cambodian PM to give luxury watches as Asean summit souvenirs This article was first published in Asia One . All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources. Khmer Daily